How About We Start with Some Fun Stories?
Our October Newsletter
What will you be doing when you turn 100? Betty Reid Soskin can show you how in our first story. In other news, Sage Stream held an information session on October 6. A link to the video is posted below. Participants were eager to find out more about what we are up to as they consider becoming a pilot site. If you are interested, please let me know as well. We continue to add roster members to the site as well. Slow and steady wins the race! Happy Halloween. The holidays are upon us!
‘America’s Oldest Park Ranger’ Is Only Her Latest Chapter
Betty Reid Soskin has fought to ensure that American history includes the stories that get overlooked. As she turns 100, few stories have been more remarkable than hers. And that’s the thing with this story, it’s not that she’s 100; it’s what she has accomplished. Read every word.
Feel Good Part 2 - As a child, she wrote to a WWII vet. He carried the letter everywhere, and 12 years later, they finally met.
Dashauna Priest still recalls sitting in her third-grade classroom 12 years ago in Lorain, Ohio, writing a heartfelt thank-you letter to a World War II veteran whom she did not know.
At the time, and in the years that followed, she had no idea that the recipient of her letter would carry the note with him everywhere he went, carefully folded in an envelope.
“I’m never without it,” said Frank Grasberger, now 95.
Feel Good Part 3 - Let This Speak for Itself
Caregiver Guilt for Accepting Help - Who Knew?
One might expect that demand for products that support caregivers would have skyrocketed. In recent research, researchers found that consumers feel guilty when they use products that make caregiving easier, making them appear less-dedicated.
And Yet Caregiver Burden Is Worsening
The COVID-19 pandemic is exerting even more pressure on family caregivers, according to a new survey by caregiving benefit firm Family First.
A total of 83% of the 1,500 family caregivers polled reported their responsibilities increased during the pandemic; 71% reported having mental health challenges. More than half reported they were too burned out to do their paid job well, with around 40% saying they had left their jobs due to the added burden of caregiving.
Our Sage Stream Information Session was held on October 6. We are seeking 20 pilot sites. Watch the session below.
Welcome our newest roster member Elisa Bosley. She is a licensed non-denominational chaplain with a particular calling to elders with dementia. Drawing on more than 35 years of ministry experience in both church and para-church settings, she created SpiritualEldercare.com, a free resource of more than 100 sing-along classic hymns and scores of original worship services, Bible discussion guides, and more, all designed to meet the spiritual needs of older adults with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. When Covid-19 hit, she pivoted to creating video versions of her weekly church services; her YouTube channel (youtube.com/spiritualeldercare) now has more than 1,000 subscribers from all over the world. Her You Tube videos average more than 500 views. She’s also a professional writer and editor.
Caregiver Smile Summit -
Purchase all three Summits for $49.
Use them as a substitute for your Caregiver Conference just as Rural Resources Community Living Connections in Pullman, Washington did this year.
Dementia: The ‘first’ symptom of dementia may not be memory loss.
This caught my eye. Most people associate memory loss with Alzheimer’s but research suggests it may not be the first indicator. Depression and cognitive impairment were the first symptoms to appear in this new study.
I Saved for Retirement to Do This?
This article by Steve Moran hits the nail on the head when we talk about the state of activities in senior living.
"We will get this right when our life enrichment leader is the highest-paid person in the community and they have a budget big enough to create meaningful, purposeful programming that is worthy of the residents living in the community."
In the Media
How Selling Your Life Insurance Policy Can Bring You Cash, Sixty and Me.
Isolation Impacts Everyone - Here is How to Assess Your Risk. US News and World Report.
I am eSpeakers certified. What does that mean? Click on the photo to find out more.
Social activities help dementia patients stay sharp, avoid depression - Study
A new study suggests that mixing with other people helps dementia patients stay sharp and fend off depression. Scientists say the type of treatment known as “cognitive stimulation” could make living with dementia easier for hundreds of thousands of people.
